


Did You Poison Me?

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, Poisoning, Sickfic, The Master Has Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24931684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: The Master poisons the reader with the venom of an alien insect, leaving them to suffer the effects, but he acted with the best intentions.
Relationships: The Master (Dhawan)/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77





	Did You Poison Me?

“Did you poison me yesterday?”

The Master glanced up from the console, his intrigued gaze roaming languidly across your body, taking his time to admire you like one might a painting in a national gallery. Full of appreciation for your sharp lines and soft curves, analysing the imperfections which made you so unique. Underlined by an obvious desire to own you, to call you his, yet somehow still detected, almost - but not completely - resigned to the fact that you would always belong to another. 

This wasn’t the first time he’d taken you from The Doctor, snatched you away from her in the midst of a crisis and locked you away in his TARDIS until she came crashing through his doors to demand your return. It had started as nothing more than a simple hostage situation but after the fifteenth time (by which point you’d started leaving spare clothes in his ship, counting on the fact that you’d be back eventually) it came out, reluctantly, that he might actually, perhaps, enjoy your company. 

He had never voiced such thoughts since but you knew the truth: The Master liked you. If you were being honest, you liked him too. In waiting for The Doctor to rescue you, he had dragged you along on a few of his schemes and, destruction and death aside, it was fun to see a different side of the universe. Reckless, dangerous, unforgiving. It gave you a new appreciation for your gentler adventures with The Doctor.

You also, secretly, enjoyed The Master’s company. He was sharp and witty, so very quick on the uptake that by the time you’d gotten your mind around something he was already ten steps ahead. Running with him was frantic and exciting and despite his threats he never once left you behind to die. 

It was obvious that he cared about you, in his own destructive way. He engineered situations where only he could come to your rescue and you were quite content to let him play the hero. How could you not when it made your life feel like some sort of fairytale. You knew it was an unhealthy relationship you had, that one day he would push too far or you’d follow him blindly into the jaws of death, but that was half the fun. 

It was also what made the fact he’d poisoned you so incredibly unexpected.

You stumbled towards the console, the world around you uncomfortably blurred. Your eyes strained against the TARDIS lights as bright lines of impossible colours sped across your field of vision, beautiful but concerningly hot when they shot past your cheek. 

The Master caught you before you slammed your head into the central console and set you down on a nearby platform. He’d recently redecorated and while now far more stylish than ever - and in absolutely no way modelled on The Doctor’s latest designs with towering crystal arches and far too many stairs - you found yourself lamenting the loss of those comfortable sofas from O’s house. 

Catching the lapel of his jacket, you tugged him down to your level. This close, you could smell him, that distinct scent that was undeniably him, that filled the TARDIS and clung to your clothes after each adventure. Rich and musky, like an old, never ending forest after a storm. Somehow warning a deep part of your brain that he was dangerous but enticing you into his clutches anyway. 

His breath tickled your skin as curious eyes glanced you over once more, his lips twitching in a restrained smirk. Of course he found it funny, you demanding answers in this weakened, fragile state. It was ridiculous. Like always, he held all the cards, all the power. Maybe that was what made challenging him so exciting. 

The Master covered your hand with his and plucked your fingers from his coat. “You’ll ruin it if you keep pulling on it like that.”

“I don’t care about your coat,” you groaned, a harsh barbed coil twisting inside your stomach. It tore at your insides, rumbled them up and left you retching. Far from pleasant, only further compounded by a slicing headache and the complete loss of feeling in your ears. Throwing your head back, you stared up at the distant ceiling and asked again, “Did you poison me? Be honest. Please.”

Whether encouraged by your pleading or simply lauding the answer over you, The Master grinned wildly. “Only a little bit.”

“Why? I thought… I thought you liked me.”

He rocked on his heels, the motion making you feel even more sick than before. You slapped a hand on his knee to still him, the sudden contact incredibly effective. The Master stiffened before a familiar mask fell into place, burying his true feelings behind a layer of obnoxious superiority. The facade was, however, marred with lines of genuine emotion; there, in his dark eyes, you could just make out the softness, the concern that he might have accidentally gone too far this time. 

Knocking your hand from his knee, The Master replied, “I do. That’s exactly why I’m doing this for you. So say thank you.”

A sudden jolt of pain in your chest had you doubling over, clutching your feet in a desperate attempt to keep them from separating from your legs and floating away with the rest of the rainbow bubbles which were currently launching off your skin. Face pressed into your chest, the soft fabric of your shirt like sandpaper against your nose, you counted through the sharp wave of sickness, grateful beyond words when the effects lessened around ten. 

“Thank you,” you hissed through gritted teeth, vaguely wondering if they had always tasted like rubies or if that was a new development. The weight of six obese elephants on your neck, you fought to look up and meet his gaze. Barely able to vocalise your thoughts, you managed a simple: “Why?”

“She’s never careful, not when it comes to her pets. Lets them run into danger without a single consideration of what might really be lurking in the shadows." 

You couldn’t quite tell if it was the poison distorting your understanding of the point or if The Master was simply being more incoherent than usual. Either way, he continued, "I had a quick look into the future. Your future. A little against the rules, I know, but what can I say? Never one to follow them properly.”

His fingers were like ice on your burning skin, the soft touch easing the pain behind your eyes. “Otroxi Venilum. Vicious insects. She lets one bite you and the poison kills you." 

A sadness filled his expression, seeping through the cracks in his well worn mask. The moment you picked up on it, practically able to taste the sweet, mouldy emotion on your tongue, The Master flipped back into obscenely proud of himself. Grinning, he said, "Well, now you’ll be immune.”

The colourful bubbles now burnt your skin, acidic beyond anything you’d ever experienced. The Master didn’t react, suggesting they were only in your mind, but the pain was excruciating nonetheless. Throat swollen, struggling to breathe, you gasped, light headed, “If I survive.”

“Oh, you will,” he promised, guiding you down to the ground. The fluffy fibres of your favourite blanket covered your chest as The Master rose to his feet, towering above you, your very own, broken guardian angel. “I’ll make sure of it.”


End file.
